A great number of industrial applications require the continuous filling of containers with measured quantities of fluid. Metering devices designed for continuous operation have been known for some time, and the machinery used for these purposes is normally cleaned every day. This cleaning, particularly in food industries, typically involves the complete breakdown and reassembly of the machinery.
Various attempts have been made to provide machinery which could be conveniently broken down into its component pieces for cleaning. U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,325 provides a metering dispenser for plastic materials in which only the valve and metering cylinder must be removed for cleaning. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,745 shows a fill valve assembly which is intended to be simplified in construction for low cost and easier maintenance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fill piston and housing assembly for use in filling machinery.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fill piston and housing assembly for use in filling machinery which is a clamped mating assembly for ease in assembly and disassembly.
The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to this specification. Further, they will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
According to the present invention, there is provided an improved fill piston and housing assembly for attachment to the working means of filling equipment which comprises an arm having one end secured to the working means of the filling equipment and having a T-shaped connection at the opposite end; a mounting flange having one face secured to the filling equipment, having a hole therethrough to accommodate said arm and having a circular raised portion on its opposite face; a hollow cylindrical spacer tube having one end in mating engagement with the mounting flange and the raised portion thereof; a guide bushing having one face in mating engagement with the opposite end of the spacer tube and having an opening therethrough; a metering cylinder in mating engagement with the opposite face of the guide bushing but notched so as to provide an annular groove on the inside surface at their junction, having an entry port and an exit port and provided with external clamping means interconnecting with said mounting flange; a cylindrical piston disposed within the annular cavity defined by the spacer tube, guide bushing and metering cylinder having at one end a T-shaped notch to accommodate the T-shaped connection of the arm; and, means disposed within the annular groove at the junction of the guide bushing to provide a seal between the metering cylinder and the piston.